2007-11-18 : this week i will try to be hanging around #sito on irc.efnet.org ... maybe
i/we will be working on the dvd this week. hopefully.
-jon / uwi / Mumonkan

NEWS

2005-01-04 : Project announced.
This page posted, subject to change. Pardon our dust as we
figure out what we are doing.

2005-01-05 : Added some more ideas for projects

2005-02-01 : Lenara and Jon are compiling "tutorials".
On the gridcosm discussion lately, there has been a bunch of how-to
gridcosm webpages and the like. We are trying to put these all
together as DVD image-slideshows or something like that.

2005-10-31 : Gridcosm fly-through wins!
This adds plenty of fuel to my lazy butt antics.
Plus, if we actually get the prize money,
then it will cover DVD production!
[more info]

2006-07-10 : "Final Phase" commences!
See info to ther right...

2007-07-8 : OUCH!
Ok, what happened is I got a job several months ago. A full-time,
and then some, kinda job. So I have actually been adjusting to this,
and the lack of free time, for almost 6 months now. I can't really complain,
cuz this is what people do. But my fun has been way too much on hold. I will
get to this as soon as I can. Promise. SIGH! So sorry.

A Gridcosm DVD?

"Final Phase" of DVD production begins!
2006-07-10 : Okay, so here is the deal. Lenara is in Portland, and
we are going to spend the rest of July working on the DVD. As in
finish the DVD!

What does this mean for you? Well, if you just want to
get a copy of the DVD, then it means more waiting -- but hopefully
for not too long!

However, if you have something to contribute (see list
of ideas below), then you better get moving!! Lenara and I (Jon) are
making the deadline Sunday July 16, which is only a few days!
So please contact us... now!

More info as we actually get the content together.

For a few years now, we have tossed around the idea of a DVD
which would include a high-quality version of the Gridcosm
"fly-through" animation. (Here is a low-quality
sample,
and another).

Video editing and authoring tools has made this goal obtainable now,
so we plan to move ahead with this! We are not absolutely sure
of the details of the end result, but we will definitely be selling
them at-cost and hopefully be able to professionally reproduce them
including a booklet or at least a decent insert. More details on this
front as we figure out some loose ends.

Lenara will be the main force
behind throwing this thing together, with assistance from
Jon and
Ed. The main feature on
the DVD will be a smooth, high-quality fly-through created by Lenara,
which features levels 0 through 1000. We may include a more
up-to-date animation as a bonus (we are passed level 2000, after all!),
if time/technology permits. However, the animation that Lenara has
is finished, including several great soundtracks and while it is
not all of Gridcosm, it is mind-numbingly beautiful and long enough
to completely fry your optic nerves.

What else?

This is a great question. We hope you can help out with this!
Right now we have a couple extra surprises to put on the DVD, but
we welcome more. Any videographers/editors out there are welcome
to throw something together, if it relates to Gridcosm. Some ideas are
(but these aren't meant to be the only things):

Brief commentary/musing/pseudo-intellectual analysis

Mockumentaries

Slideshow/narration of favorite levels (can be just some JPEGs with audio
or something like this, for non-video-makers)

Your own automatically-made fly-through animation. (Please do not
attempt to construct one manually; you will go insane.)

Audio files of readings of "Gridpoem". (set to music? several levels
in a row? videos of interpretive dancing and puppets?)

Well, you get the idea. There isn't an explicit limit on length of
submissions, but ideally "short" (perhaps 5 min or less) is good.
Further, we reserve the right to edit things a bit (hopefully with
time to clear the edits with the creator) or even reject things
altogether (for example, we have enough flame-wars in the Gridcosm
discussion, so we don't need a video documentary of every poorly
blended piece!). However, we simply do not
have the time or expertise to assist with creation of
your submission -- so it's a good idea to find the digital video
geek friend of yours now.

Your submission should be in DV NTSC format, preferably shot and edited
at this quality (i.e. avoid lossy compressions and lower-quality
sources). The files can end up being pretty big, even for just a couple
minutes, so we can accept miniDV tapes or files sent in on CDs or DVDs
(DVD-ROMs, etc.).

As far as deadline goes, well, we are still working out some wrinkles,
but I am going to set a goal of getting all material by March 1, 2005.
Very likely we will be able to accept stuff a little after this, but
don't drag your feet too much. A couple of months to make a couple
minutes of video isn't that ridiculous. (I do know video
editing can consume outrageously huge amounts of time from personal
experience. So set your goals reasonably!)

Keep checking this page for more news. And do not worry about
ordering right now -- when they are available, you will be able
to get one. If not, then we will make more. But hopefully we will
have a huge pile in the first batch, so it won't be a problem.